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Edward Dix (1612-1660)
}} Research Notes Watertown Founders Monument He is listed on Watertown Founders Monument, commemorating the first settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. The town was first known as Saltonstall Plantation, one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements. Founded in early 1630 by a group of settlers led by Richard Saltonstall and George Phillips, it was officially incorporated that same year. The alternate spelling "Waterton" is seen in some early documents. Anderson Citation Information: (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002); Robert Charles Anderson, "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633," Volumes I-III, 3 vols., 1995: "EDWARD DIX ORIGIN: Unknown / MIGRATION: 1630 / FIRST RESIDENCE: Boston / REMOVES: Watertown by 1634 * CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: "Edward Deekes" was admitted to Boston church as member #49 14. * FREEMAN: 4 March 1634/5 (fifth in a group of six Watertown men) 1:370. * EDUCATION: Signed his will by mark. Inventory included "one old Bible and three old books" valued at 6s. * OFFICES: Watertown selectman, 10 December 1649 1:19. In a town account of 10 December 1651 is included the following item: "dike's rate ... 17s. 2d." 25; this has been interpreted to indicate that Edward Dix had recently been constable. Estate ESTATE: Granted the usual full sequence of proprietorial lots at Watertown: homestall of 11 acres; 2 acres meadow; 3 acres upland; 30 acres Great Dividend; 3 acres Beaverbrook Plowlands; 3 acres Remote Meadows; 10 acres and a half upland; and 105 acre farm 4, 7, 9, 12, 27, 84. In his will, dated 25 June 1660 and proved 2 October 1660, "Edward Dikes of Wattertowne" acknowledged that "I did receive some estate of my wife that now is to the value of twenty pounds" and ordered that it be paid to her along with £5 in addition, and also so long as she lives and does not remarry she may reside with his children in his dwelling house and have firewood cut and delivered to her; ordered that from "all my estate viz: houses, lands both near and remote with two hundred acres of land bought of Ensign Sherman ... my son John Dikes shall enjoy a double portion with the addition of ten pounds and a mare colt now running in the woods"; ordered that "the rest of my estate be equally divided amongst my 3 daughters only my youngest for some consideration not here mentioned shall have twenty shillings more than the rest of her sisters provided also that if the portion that I have given my daughter lined out Abigaell which is wife to Thomas Parks do not amount to the rest of the sisters that then it shall be made up equal unto the rest of her sisters"; and appointed "my son John Diks" sole executor Case #6296. On 2 October 1660 John Dix chose Sgt. John Wincoll as his guardian Misc. The inventory of the estate of "Edward Dickes late of Wattertowne" was taken 8 October 1660 and totalled £254 3s. 10d., of which £103 was real estate: "a dwelling house and barn and fourteen acres of homestall land," £42; "three acres of meadow in Beaver Brook Meadow," £12; "five acres at Slendergut Meadow," £5; "six acres of meadow at Mr. Saltonstall's farm," £4; "five acres of Remote Meadow," £2 10s.; "twenty acres of dividend by Thomas Torball's and ten acres by Richard Sawtel's," £15; "six acres of land by John Barnard's," £6; "more nine acres of land by Rich: Sawtel's," £4 10s.; "three acres in the further plain," £1 10s.; "eighteen acres in lieu of the township," £3; "two hundred acres of land at Esabeth Assabet River," £6; and "his right in farm land in Wattertown" £1 10s. Case #6296. 1635 Thomas and John COMMENTS: On the 6 June 1635 passenger list of the Thomas & John, bound from London to Virginia, are Edward Dix, aged 19, and Jane Wilkinson, aged 20 (at different positions in a list of 105 names) 83-85. This Edward Dix has been identified by some as the immigrant to New England, and Jane Wilkinson as his first wife Jane. There are several arguments against these claims. In the first place, there are only one or two instances in which persons listed as sailing for Virginia in 1635 later appeared in New England, and these are well documented. Second, Edward Dix of Boston and Watertown was admitted to freemanship on 4 March 1634/5, and he must have been in New England for this to occur; but the passenger of 6 June 1635 could not have been in New England on the previous 4 March, and in any case could not have been made free if he were only nineteen.